The Shanks Dimension » Afghanistan

The Marine “Pissing” Incident

admin — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 01:16:48 +0000

Wall Street Journal and other news agencies have been going off on this report about US Marines videoing themselves urinating on enemy (i.e. militant) corpses in Afghanistan.

US military confirm the video is authentic and that Marines from the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment from Camp Lejeune North Carolina.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta condemned the bad behavior on Thursday and telephone Afghanistan’s President Hamid Karzai to say he (Leon Panetta) found the images deplorable. Quoting Defense Secretary Panetta, “This conduct is entirely inappropriate for members of the United States military and doesn’t reflect the standards or values our armed forces are sworn to uphold.”

The video was uploaded to YouTube and other websites and runs for about one minute. It shows four men in Marine combast gear standing around three corpses on the ground – urinating on them. One was heard to have said, “Have a great day, buddy.”

Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai called the act “inhuman.” And the Taliban condemned the video (as expected) saying that US forces have committed war crimes against them for the past 10 years of war. Taliban recent negotiations with the US will not be stopped due to this incident.

There have been other misdeeds by US forces in the War on Terrorism. In Iraq, there was the abuses see at the Abu Ghraib prison.

But, the Taliban have also been tainted with their own misdeeds. In 1996, they brutally killed Mohammad Najibullah, the deposed communist president who was seeking refuge at a U.N. compound in Kabul. His corpse was castrated and hung from a traffic light on a busy street for everyone to see.

From the Uniformed Code of Military Justice, the desecration of the bodies of enemy combatants is a court-martial offense.

Now for my take on the matter…

Those Marines were Morons!

The four who had their peckers out to do the deed and the jerk holding the camera to record the event. If your going to take a piss on a dead enemy corpse, don’t take any pictures or video of yourself doing it! You can think it – just don’t do it for real guys!

Our young troops must also be made aware of the “larger” picture and how stupid mistakes can affect national policy or our nation’s image. Today, Uncle Sam got a bit of that golden splatter on his pants leg.

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Ref.
1. Online Wall Street Journal. “In Damage Control Bid, Pentagon Calls Karzai Over Video” by JULIAN E. BARNES in Washington and MARIA ABI-HABIB in Kabul. January 12, 2012. ( http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204409004577156434037860096.html?mod=WSJ_hp_MIDDLETopStories ).
2. The Jawa Report. “Taliban Condemns Marine Pi$$ing Video As Inhumane” January 12, 2012. ( http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/210743.php ).

Nut Case Pastor Burns Quran After All

admin — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 14:46:34 +0000

Well, that Pastor Terry Jones-of the Dove World Outreach curch; has finally done it. The Gainesville, Florida preacher from the out of the boondocks that used up his 15 minutes of fame last year has finally burned his copy of the Quran on March 20, 2011.

The news finally reached some Afghan folks/terrorists and these thugs had the brillant idea of raiding a United Nations compound and killing eight people. Who can we thank for this? Mullah Mohammed Shah Adeli. He is the one who is guilty of inciting the crowds to violence. Then that violence flowed out to other Afghans cities like Mazar-i-Sharif, Kandahar, Jalalabad, and even in Kabul.

So what does the President of Afghanistan-Hamid Karzai do? Because of the local politics he has to deal with, he is on the side of the murderers. Karzai doesn’t even bother trying to explain to his people that the joker who burned the Quran in Florida was a figure who his fellow citizens think of him as nothing more than a sad joke. A fellow to be reviled.

With Hamid Karzai behaving this way, its time for the US to get out of Afghanistan. Our target Osama bin Laden is more than likey in Pakistan, or Yemen now. Its time to leave this nation building to the people who will actually be living there.

This blogger doesn’t think very much of the Pastor’s actions. But he is a American, and what he did comes under the heading of freedom of speech.

Our enemy – yes, I use that word specifically. Our enemy, the radical Muslims are driving us in this direction. They could have burned a Bible and we in the West wouldn’t paid any attention to it. Our enemy, by placing the Quran, a book full of paper and ink on its pages; over the lives of other human beings – is at fault.

Plus, be you Christian or Muslim; fanatical fundamentalism is just plain stupid, it is unacceptable.

___

Ref.

1. AFPAK.Foreign Policy. “Explaining the inexplicable: murder at Mazar” by C. Christine Fair. April 4, 2011. (http://afpak.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/04/04/explaining_the_inexplicable_murder_at_mazar).

2. News Junkie Post (http://newsjunkiepost.com/2011/04/03/quran-burning-pastor-is-not-responsible-for-afghanistan-murders/). image of burning quran fromt his website.

Soldier of Fortune Turns 35

admin — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 14:11:44 +0000

I am a subscriber to the conservative blog known as Faultline USA. I get the daily email commentary by J.D. Longstreet. Recently, this wonderful article by Jim Simpson about the magazine Soldier of Fortune appeared “beneath the fold” of this Friday’s posting (October 8, 2010).

The link is posted at the bottom as always with me. I never subscribed to SOF magazine. There were times that I wised I did. Basically, I always wanted to view the magazine on the book shelve and buy it direct that way. There have ben campaigns over the past 30 years of “trying to hide” the magazine behind other magazines in order to try to reduce sales and thus force the book stores from buying it. I did my best when I was able to afford to do so, to buy a copy and make sure it was visible of the shelf for all to see. Plus, when the magazine first came out, I personally found out many great stories long before they appeared in Time or Newsweek. And in greater depth than what those other two magazines would cover the story. There is a problem with their website right now. Malware warnings keep popping up when I visited today.

I did check and the article, and it is the same as what appeared in my email box this morning. There was a part that stood out for me and I quote it here: “In the 1980s, Danny Ortega’s oppressive Communist regime in Nicaragua received a fleet of Russian Hind helicopters… to put down the Contras. When the Contras started to take heavy losses from these gunships, Bob Brown single-handedly grounded the entire fleet in less than 72 hours. How? By printing a full-page ad in his own magazine offering a million dollar reward to anyone who would bring us one of these choppers. The Russians knew damn well that every Cuban pilot would jump at the chance to fly into nearby El Salvador and get a million bucks and a Miami liquor license for his efforts. Bob’s actions helped cause Ortega’s fall, and stopped the spread of Communism in Central America dead in its tracks.”

Ross’s account is exaggerated but not entirely off the mark. An ABC reporter, Peter Collins, who had contacts in the Nicaraguan military, confirmed to Brown that they had, in fact, grounded their fleet of Hinds for three weeks because it took that much time to bring in trustworthy replacement pilots.

Brown had placed the ad hoping it would have just such an effect. As explained to me for this article, the idea was modeled after a similar PSYOPS plan conducted during the Korean War to ground MIG-15s in advance of an important bombing campaign. Brown had no interest in actually securing a helicopter. End Quote.

Anyway, to avoid the malware threat, the entire article is posted here now…

Soldier of Fortune Turns 35 – an Exceptional Magazine and Much More.

Posted: 07 Oct 2010 07:46 PM PDT

By Jim Simpson

Like most things unapologetically conservative and unapologetically pro-American, Soldier of Fortune magazine has been pilloried for years by the organized Left’s venomously anti-American press and culture. But SOF, founded in 1975 by decorated Special Forces veteran and lifelong adventurer, Lt. Col. Robert K. Brown (USAR – Ret.), stands out as a singular example of American exceptionalism in print media. But that the rest were half as good.

SOF is more than that too, for unknown to most people, Soldier of Fortune magazine and its staff of intrepid reporters – almost all with special operations backgrounds, some who paid the ultimate price while on assignment – has voluntarily assisted the U.S. military and our allies for decades, with little or no recognition, providing intelligence, training and combat support to freedom fighters throughout the world. They did so much of this in fact, that they could almost be characterized as the first “private contractor,” except they did all their work for free, with expenses being covered by the magazine itself.

Started in 1975, the year of the Vietnam War’s ignoble end, Soldier of Fortune magazine quickly gained a wide following among Vietnam veterans. It was one of the few journals then in print that gave an honest and appreciative assessment of veterans’ wartime sacrifices, with articles written mostly by fellow veterans who knew about war firsthand, up close and personal.

The magazine remains dedicated to our Nation’s military and is avidly read and appreciated by veteran and active duty alike. As editor Brown stated in SOF’s 25 year anniversary issue:

Overnight, SOF offered Vietnam vets the recognition they deserved, a home in a sense, a meeting place for like souls. Like a banner, it acknowledged their sacrifices and continues to do so, loudly and loyally.

Americans fed on network news had little idea what was really happening over there. Many still don’t. Shamefully, the mass media (they are not mainstream) has never come clean about their central role in the systematic deception of the American public that led to America’s first military defeat. America did not lose the Vietnam War on the battlefield, despite military missteps. It was lost due to a conspiracy of deliberate misreporting by American media and the incompetent, feckless and in some cases treasonous, activities of the White House and Democrat-controlled U.S. Congress.

In addition to becoming a voice for Vietnam vets, SOF rapidly gained a reputation for cutting-edge reporting at the front lines of bush wars throughout the world, many of which were and still are ignored by the mass media. For example, since 1982 SOF has reported on the plight of Burma’s Karen people, who have fought a war of liberation against that country’s brutal, Stalinist regime for decades.

SOF’s reporting on the Karens inspired Sylvester Stallone to make his 4th Rambo movie about the Burmese conflict. As Sly puts it:

I think SOF has proven time and time again that it has its thumb on the pulse of what is really transpiring in the remote, dark parts of the world that the drive-by media tends to overlook. One of SOF’s correspondents, Lance Motley, was killed by Burmese forces in 1989 while reporting on the conflict. Wounded three times on previous expeditions around the globe for SOF, Lance was as usual, right on the front lines.

Motley personified the archetypical SOF reporter. A West Point graduate and Special Forces officer, Lance quit the Army out of boredom. He then made a solo trip to Afghanistan. He had no backing from anyone, no knowledge of the people, language or culture, but managed to sneak in, find his way to the action, fight with the Mujahideen against the Soviet occupiers, and help compile a list for the U.S. Congress of weapons the Afghans needed – all in six months! This was before anyone had ever heard of Charlie Wilson. Lance’s obituary is a testimonial to the caliber of men who wrote for Soldier of Fortune.

SOF is about the only journal that has reported on Laos and Vietnam’s relentless genocide against its indigenous tribes. The Degar people of Vietnam’s Central Highlands, known collectively as “Montagnards” (mountain people) fought valiantly alongside American Special Forces throughout the Vietnam War, but were shamelessly abandoned when we decided to pull out. The U.S. government forgot about them, but their former enemies didn’t. Since that time, the Degar have been systematically repressed, with many tortured and killed in “reeducation” camps.

The Laotian Hmong who assisted the U.S. during its CIA-operated secret war in Laos, have suffered similarly. For the last thirty five years, the Laotian communist government has engaged in a bush war with the goal of exterminating remaining Hmong, killing as many as 100,000, including the use of chemical weapons. Remaining Hmong have retreated to remote mountainous areas, where they survive in primitive conditions, living off the land.

To add insult to injury, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, (ATF) saw an opportunity to lure Hmong expatriate leader, then 77 year-old Major General Vang Pao, into a sting operation. Vang led Laotian forces for the CIA during the secret war and has spent his life devoted to the Hmong cause. He remains a widely respected leader, both among the Hmong expatriate community and in Laos. Those remaining in Laos would likely have perished long ago were it not for the external assistance provided to them through Vang’s efforts.

ATF agents convinced Vang to become involved in a plot to overthrow the communist Laotian government. Assured that this was a CIA-backed operation, he agreed. He and his compatriots were later arrested and charged with violating the Neutrality Act. Fortunately Vang’s case was dismissed in 2009. The fate of his co-defendants has not yet been determined. See a very good video about this case and the plight of the Hmong here.

The reality of Southeast Asia’s Communists’ brutal genocide against the Hmong and Degar people stands in stark contrast to their wartime propaganda about “liberating the oppressed.” But for SOF, we wouldn’t know about it.

Meanwhile, American communists like Bill Ayers and Tom Hayden, who actively, blatantly supported communist North Vietnam during the war, have nothing to say about the miserable aftermath they helped bring about. Many of these same Leftists, by the way, were the foremost organizers of Progressives for Obama – just one great big cesspool.

SOF’s Brown also became personally and professionally involved in the search for living POW/MIAs after the war, dumping about $350,000 into the effort. This unfortunate chapter in our Vietnam experience had its share of charlatans, who capitalized on the hopes of POW/MIA families and concerned veterans like Brown. SOF, however, wasted no time in challenging those who appeared to be frauds, even fellow decorated Special Forces veterans like Bo Gritz.

SOF was also one of the few, if not the only, publication that reported on the situation in Afghanistan during the years between the Soviet withdrawal and the rise of the Taliban. By reading SOF, one would come to know the various factions within Afghanistan and especially, dispositions of the large, Soviet-backed force organized to continue the war on the Soviets’ behalf after they left. This force was commanded by Abdul Rashid Dostum, a notorious, brutal communist warlord, who has figured prominently in the post-9-11 Northern Alliance.

During the 1980s, SOF staff took many trips to Afghanistan. One trip yielded two 5.45 mm cartridges for the new Russian AK-74. Neither the weapon nor the ammunition had previously been seen by Western intelligence. This new ammunition was believed to be the culprit in massive wounds reportedly being suffered by Mujahideen in their battles with the Soviets. On a subsequent trip, Col. Brown smuggled out another 5,000 rounds of ammunition and a sample of the AK-74 weapon itself, turning it all over to the U.S. military attaché in Islamabad.

SOF staff has engaged directly in training of allied troops, supplementing the U.S. military’s effort. They were particularly active in Central America’s recent civil wars. A recent Newsmax article by Barrett Tillman relates:

The byword is professionalism. For instance, a 1983 report describing the work of a 12-man SOF team in El Salvador covers 47 pages. It includes weapons maintenance, sound discipline on ambush, field medicine and sanitation.

On September 30th 1995, the El Salvadorian government awarded Brown their Combat Star medal. The citation reads: “In Recognition of Your Combat Support Services With Units of the Armed Forces of El Salvador, 1980 to 1992.”

SOF provided similar training to Nicaragua’s Contras during the Nicaraguan civil war. While they were at it, Brown grounded the Sandinistas’ entire fleet of Soviet Hind attack helicopters by posting the advertisement shown here. I interviewed Unintended Consequences author and firearms expert John Ross about it by phone, who confirmed the following account:

“In the 1980s, Danny Ortega’s oppressive Communist regime in Nicaragua received a fleet of Russian Hind helicopters… to put down the Contras. When the Contras started to take heavy losses from these gunships, Bob Brown single-handedly grounded the entire fleet in less than 72 hours. How? By printing a full-page ad in his own magazine offering a million dollar reward to anyone who would bring us one of these choppers. The Russians knew damn well that every Cuban pilot would jump at the chance to fly into nearby El Salvador and get a million bucks and a Miami liquor license for his efforts. Bob’s actions helped cause Ortega’s fall, and stopped the spread of Communism in Central America dead in its tracks.”

The history of SOF is replete with such examples – too many to mention. Brown himself has received numerous awards and citations for his contributions by governments far and wide. His unique staff of reporters recall the “warrior philosophers” of ancient Greece. Fearless, highly intelligent, well-read and well-educated, (many without benefit of a college degree), they provided on deadline, crisp, clear, straightforward analyses of complicated political/military issues that still vex ivory tower political scientists.

Some paid the ultimate price. Lance Motley was mentioned earlier. Three others were killed in action. These men reflected the dedication and ability of SOF’s unique staff.

Lt. Col Robert MacKenzie was SOF’s contributing editor for unconventional operations. A truly gifted soldier, MacKenzie was retired from the Army 70 percent disabled two years after enlisting, due to a wound suffered in Vietnam. Not to be deterred, in 1970 he joined the Rhodesian Special Forces (SAS) and served 10 years, receiving both the Bronze and Silver Crosses of Rhodesia for bravery and leadership in action. He later served as second-in-command of the Transkei, South Africa Special Forces.

Hired as an SOF journalist in 1985, MacKenzie reported on conflicts all over the globe, including Bosnia and Croatia, African hot spots, Russia, South America and Southeast Asia, to name a few, and was responsible for rescuing seven Westerners held hostage in Africa. He was hired by the Sierra Leone government in 1995 to train government forces, and was killed in an ambush by Revolutionary United Front (RUF) guerillas while trying to assist another wounded soldier.

Mike Echanis was a U.S. Army Ranger, renowned martial artist and martial arts editor for SOF in the mid-1970s. . In 1978 he was he was working in Nicaragua as a contractor for the CIA, and was killed in a helicopter crash after a bomb planted on board detonated. Foreign correspondent George Bacon III was another highly-decorated soldier, who received the CIA Intelligence Star for his work in Laos. He was killed in Africa while fighting for the National Front for the Liberation of Angola (FNLA). Motley, MacKenzie, Echanis and Bacon share a special place on the SOF masthead, along with a list of other noteworthy contributors who have since passed on.

Keep in mind that all these men (and many more) died in the line of service fighting enemies borne of the worldwide communist movement, which has prospered largely because incompetent, cowardly and sometimes treasonous U.S. “leaders” have allowed it to. In this President and Congress, such “leadership” is endemic, or perhaps I should say epidemic. Fortunately, a record number of military veterans are running for national office this year, who, if elected will bring a measure of sanity back to our Nation’s capital. Please check them out at Veterans for Freedom, Iraq Veterans for Congress and Combat Veterans for Congress and do all you can to lend support.

For his part, SOF founder Brown spends little time behind a desk. He was one of the first journalists to enter Kuwait City following its liberation by American forces in 1991 and SOF provided extensive on-the-ground reporting of the first Gulf War. It continues to provide cutting-edge coverage of operations in Iraqi, the conflict in Afghanistan, and other conflicts large and small throughout the world. Through its unique network of contacts, SOF continues to scoop the mass media on major stories involving military and intelligence issues, and brings a refreshing, insightful perspective that you will not find in the militarily-illiterate, anti-American mass media.

Finally, SOF and its editor are tireless advocates for gun rights. Col. Brown has been on the NRA Board of Directors for decades. Over the years, the magazine has featured reviews on new firearms and equipment and columns by noted gun experts such as John Farnam, Maj. John Plaster, Jeff Cooper and others.

In summing up his attitude toward life, Col. Brown says, “Slay dragons, do noble deeds and never, never, never, give up.” That attitude is certainly reflected in the storied history of Soldier of Fortune magazine, 35 this year and going strong. .

___

Ref. Faultline USA, “Soldier of Fortune Turns 35 – an Exceptional Magazine and Much More.” by Jim Simpson, October 7, 2010. (http://faultlineusa.blogspot.com/2010/10/soldier-of-fortune-turns-35-exceptional.html).

Mullah Omar – Captured Finally!

admin — Tue, 11 May 2010 02:18:10 +0000

From a Brad Thor exclusive. Mullah Omar Captured by the Pakistani government back in March of this year.

The CIA and the U.S. State Department were not informed. Only the U.S. Department of Defense in the Afigastan/Pakistan theater of operations was notified and about 10 days ago began to spread the word to other authorities in the U.S. chain of command.

For more details, please use the link below to vist Big Government dot com.

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Ref. May 10, 2010. Brad Thor (http://biggovernment.com/bthor/2010/05/10/exclusive-mullah-omar-captured/).

Interesting Theory-Oil Rig Was Attacked, not an Accident!

admin — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 14:20:27 +0000

In a posting entitle “Connect The Dots”, Sean Linnane on the blog STORMBRINGER thinks that the recent sinking of the Gulf Coast oil rig was the work of Iranian Qods forces that are in Venezuela for ‘training’ purposes with Venezuela. Plus recent “war games” in the Persian Gulf showing off new Iranian Revolutionary Guard boats attacking a abandoned war ship.

Then there are the rocket explosions in Jordan to consider. The rocket attacks in Jordan/Israel and the “war games” took place on April 22nd.

Iranian troops known as Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) are deployed around the world to advance Iranian special interests. This unit has been aligned with terrorists in Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel, North Africa. And now in Latin America. And more than likely, elements of this gorup might have already crossed the southern border of our nation (remember – we don’t HAVE a secured border with Mexico! The drug war(s) have gone hot down along the Texas/Mexico border near El Paso).

So the theory of Iranian paramilitaries staging attacks within our own borders is not TOO far fetch to consider.

Then there is the recent explosion on April 21, 2010 of the Deepwater Horizon floating oil rig. As far as the floating oil rig goes, there are still 11 workers missing when the thing blew up. We have now past the point of likely survival out there in the open water for those poor souls. More likely, they died when the oil rig explosion took place or when it sunk.

From Wiki news: The rig was located roughly 50 miles southeast of the coast of Louisiana, and was under lease to BP since 2007. It was completing the construction of a new oil well, and was constructing a layer of cement in the well to reinforce it. This is considered dangerous, as it has the potential to produce an uncontrolled release of case, called a blowout. While the cause of the explosion has yet to be determined, a blowout is considered a possibility. end quote. I include this quote to remind myself and readers that it could very well be an industrial accident – not an act of war.

Linnane/STORMBRINGER pointed out that one of the rescued workers said that he was awaken by alarms and he had to scrambled to get to a life boat. Quote “I’ve been working offshore 25 years and I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

While Linnane is connecting dots, I’m going to wait to see if there is another such “accident” this year with a Gulf of Mexico oil rig. If such a event were to take place again… well, another front in the Terrorist War has opened and needs to be reacted too with force.

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Ref April 22, 2010. Stormbringer. by Sean Linnane. “Connect the Dots”(http://seanlinnane.blogspot.com/2010/04/connect-dots.html).

image is from the US Coast Guard

West Point Cadet Picture

admin — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 17:27:16 +0000

I discovered this photograph thru a Drudge Report link.

Its priceless I think. U.S. Army cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York. They were waiting for President Barrack H. Obama to give his December 1, 2009 speech on U.S. policy dealing with the war in Afghanistan.

The photograph is a Reuters picture by Shannon Stapleton. A cadet is reading a book about Kill Bin Laden, but look at the other cadet in the row in front of him – thats priceless!

“Operation Pathway” saves the UK and the USA

admin — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:04:16 +0000

Our cousins across the pond discovered something while investigating a possible terrorist event to be launched by the al-Qaeda group in Manchester and Liverpool. The terrorist were planning a Easter bombing campaign earlier this year when the investigators discovered someone by the name of Najibullah Zazi who was in New York. Najibullah Zazi is 24 years old and was born in Paktia, Afghanistan, and has lived in the Untied States of America since the age of seven years old.

Zazi was set to be a part of a group that was to attack the New York subway using truck bombs or suicide bombers with the same explosives used on July 21st in London.

Zazi had allegedly film parts of Grand Central Station on his mobile phone and that they had bought the ingredients for the bombs.

Most of the men were arrested in Manchester and were a part of a complex network of cells directed from Pakistan. British officals admit that they uncovered Zari’s part in the planning through “intercepted communication.” The plot was unmasked after an email address that was being monitored as part of an operation known as “Operation Pathway.”

That was put into jeopardy when British counter-terrorism head Bob Quick was pictured walking into Downing Street displaying top secret documents. So “Operation Pathway” arests were moved up.

A key arrest was the arrest of a US citizen – Bryant Neal Vinas, age 26; in Pakistan back in November 2008. Bryan was calling himself “Bashir al-Ameriki” and had met with Rashid Rauf, the British al-Qaeda commander behind the trans-Atlantic bomb plot. Vinas had been in Pakistan since the year 2007 where he has admitted he was receiving training from al-Qaeda and agreed to become a suicide bomber, plotting to blow up a train on the Long Island Railroad inside Pennsylvania Station.

From there, the cells were rolled up with arrests made in Belgium in December 2008, and in April of this year when Manchester Police arrested 12 Pakistani students after intercepted emails about girls and cars that were allegedly code for a planned attack.

No bomb-making equipment was found and the men were released without being charged – but 6 of those students will be deported. They come from Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province, which is the one nextdoor to Afghanistan.

Zazi returned to the US in January this year and then moved off to Aurora, Colorado where he was an airport shuttle bus driver. It is being alleged that he and others have bought large quantities of hydrogen peroxide and acetone products, which are key ingredients for homemade bombs.

On September 6th and 7th, Zazi rented a hotel suite in Aurora where tests made by the FBI later found acetone residue above the stove. It seems from intercepted communications, that he was having trouble with the formula since he was asking for the proper proportion of flour that he needed. Then he drove to New York on September 10 this year but was tipped off that New York police detectives were making inquires about him and quickly flew home.

The FBI conducted a series of raids four days later.

US Attorney General Eric Holder described the alleged plot as “One of the most serious in the United States since September 11, 2001.”

Homeland Secretary Janet Napolitano said, “We can now say those that share al-Qaeda’s beliefs are now within the US itself.”

As an aside, the British discovery came at the right time – since the US had threatened to sever intelligence links over the release of the Lockerbie bomber Al Megrahi. US authorities were happy to receive this bit of intelligence that help prevent a catastrophic attack.

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REf. Telegraph.co.uk. November 9, 2009.(http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/6529436/British-spies-help-prevent-al-Qaeda-inspired-attack-on-New-York-subway.html)

Telegraph.co.uk. November 9, 2009. By Duncan Gardham. (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/6533021/British-intelligence-cracks-trans-Atlantic-terrorist-network.html)

picture was from AP.